Contract number: 2019-3-BG01-ESC11-077759
Today, 26.06.2020, the implementation of the project „Volunteering for a better life“ number № 2019-3-BG01-ESC11-077759, funded by the Erasmus + Program, has been successfully completed.
The main goal of the project „Volunteering for a better life“ was to promote volunteering and solidarity among young people by engaging 25 volunteers from Bulgaria and Romania in activities supporting the inclusion and socialization of disadvantaged young people, which will support their active participation. in youth civil society at the local level.
The implementation of the project and the activities envisaged in it enabled the volunteers to work together with disadvantaged children and youth from the city of Vidin, which supported their effective socialization and integration into public life in the city, while promoting the voluntary work of young people. people as a way to create and promote a unified civil society.
The 21-day volunteer service started on 04.03.2020 and was planned to take place in the period from 04.03.2020 to 24.03.2020. Due to the emergency situation both in Bulgaria and in the country of our partner organization – Romania, and the imposition of strict measures for safety and security of the population in connection with the pandemic of COVID-19, the volunteer service had to be interrupted on 13.03.2020. Its resumption was possible in June and in the period from 15.06.2020. by 25.06.2020 the volunteers, together with the disadvantaged youth from the town of Vidin, managed to complete all the planned activities and to successfully finalize the project service.
All planned activities within the voluntary services were based on methods of non-formal education, which helped to form new knowledge, skills and responsible civic attitude of volunteers and disadvantaged youth.
By uniting the efforts of volunteers from Bulgaria and Romania, together with young people from the local community, we were able to promote solidarity and tolerance between young people from different countries. The association of young people of different backgrounds, ages and social status has contributed to the promotion of the ideas of volunteering, inclusion in socially significant processes, work and support of disadvantaged young people and their social inclusion, relevant both within the European Union and on a global scale.
As a result of the implementation of the set activities, the specific objectives of the project were achieved, namely:
- Encouraging volunteering among young people;
- Supporting the development of civil society by working with a specific target group;
- Encouraging the processes of social inclusion of disadvantaged young people and / or with fewer opportunities;
- Promotion of important universal values such as solidarity, empathy, justice, equality, etc .;
- Development of intercultural dialogue and solidarity;
- Acquisition of key skills and competencies – teamwork, leadership; organization;
- Promoting the principles of equal opportunities and non-discrimination;
- Strengthening the international partnership in the field of EWC.
The implementation of the project „Volunteering for a better life“ had a strong positive impact on its participants – volunteers, disadvantaged youth, partner organizations. By participating in the project, the young volunteers gained valuable experience and skills related to:
- Working with disadvantaged young people;
- Using different techniques for motivation and interaction with the outside world;
- Communication and presentation skills;
- Improving language competences and communication in a foreign language (English and Romanian);
- Teamwork and leadership skills;
- Creativity and creative skills;
- Use of non-formal learning methods;
- The work of engaging the public’s attention to solving current and important social problems;
Through the gained experience and practice, the volunteers had the opportunity to continue their activities in this field and to multiply the achieved results, even after the completion of the volunteer service.
The successful implementation of all project phases allowed the team of Bokaya, as the host of the project, and the partner organization Asociatia Act Integration to reward their experience in working with young people and volunteers by using methods of work based on non-formal learning, through which young people developed a number of skills and competencies, and helped to effectively disseminate the idea of volunteering.
This project is funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus + Program. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.